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At the start of 2015 I shared some views on 2014 stock take – in which I
focused on some personal financial management issues. I like to share some of
my observations about Cameroon’s economy in 2015. I am not going to be writing
about GDP figures or about what the World Bank and others have published about
Cameroon. I want to write from my vantage point, as one of the many
Cameroonians trying to make a positive impact on the country’s economy. When
you watch news on the international networks you get the impression that this
is Africa’s time – the continent is growing economically. But one seems to see
a different version of this on the streets of Cameroon. For example, the lack
of constant flow of pipe-borne water in the following towns: Bamenda, Limbe, and
parts of Douala. So as part of my work at 25-45 Business Consulting SA, I have
been doing a lot of research and fact finding, in order to diagnose the
problems that face the local economy, especially those faced by small and
medium sized enterprises (SMEs). As we all know, medication is only
administered after a proper diagnosis. I will present my diagnosis for your
assessment and comments in four parts (editions) as detailed below.

1.Lack of relevant education.
In one of my write-ups in 2015 I talked about lack of relevant education being
an economic growth barrier in Cameroon. This received a lot of positive
comments and prompted my company 25-45 Business Consulting SA to organise a
seminar at the University of Buea on the 22nd of November 2015. The seminar
theme was: Is the Education you are receiving relevant to the economy of our
country Cameroon? The reaction to this seminar was also very positive and my
company is poised to continue doing more work around this issue.

Using the accountancy profession as an illustration
– relevant accounting education in Cameroon will mean that an accounting degree
holder in Cameroon should be versed with the Generally Accepted Accounting
Principles (GAAP) in Cameroon – which is OHADA Accounting. But you will find
many accounting qualifications that barely cover OHADA, some accounting
qualifications treat OHADA Accounting as a course. Are these qualifications
geared towards preparing Cameroonians for the Cameroon market?
I am tempted to name Cameroon as the country of ‘’qualifications’’; everyone
seems to be more interested in obtaining a qualification; no matter how
relevant it is to the economy. There are a multitude of schools in Buea, Douala
and Bamenda that offer degrees that are completely based on foreign content to
Cameroonian students, in Cameroon.

Let me share a personal experience that will
illustrate how relevant education is important for an economy. I graduated from
the University of Buea in 2002 (BSc Accountancy). I had written and passed
exams on various accounting subjects – one of which was auditing. I had come
across various terms that I had no clue what they meant; one of them was till
slip.

I travelled
to South Africa in 2003 to further my studies and had a very interesting
revelation at a supermarket. I picked up a few items from the shelves and
placed them on the cashier’s counter and the cashier (a lady) did her
calculations on her sales computer, shouted the total and I handed the money. I
then grabbed my items and was heading straight for the exit when she shouted,
“excuse me sir, please come get your till slip”. I actually froze for a moment
and my whole body trembled. As I walked back to the cashier’s counter, she was
holding out my receipt (invoice) towards me. I took it and said thank you. Only
then did I realise that a till slip meant an invoice (or a receipt). I felt so
embarrassed and angry.

This simply meant that all what I had studied in
University in connection to a till slip was in vain, cause I did not even know
what a till slip was; why was it not referred to simply as an invoice or
receipt – which is the way we call a “till slip” in Cameroon?
The reason we spend so many years in school (from primary to university) is
because we seek to gain knowledge and skills that we can use (through working)
in our country. It is therefore imperative that the learning process
(education) is aligned (relevant) to the needs of our country. Otherwise we
will find ourselves with many abstract qualifications that cannot be used to
boost the economy of our country.

2.Lack of relevant
and basic skills.
I have been taken aback numerous times in 2015 when it was almost impossible to
find a plumber, electrician or builder on time when I needed to repair
something at my business place. This had serious negative economic consequences
for my business. I can only assume that many other small businesses face
similar problems.
I have also employed a young Cameroonian (a degree holder) and to my greatest
dismay; this person could not write a simple letter nor use a computer. I
recently attended the opening of the new stadium in Limbe and it was
unbelievable to hear the English commentator continuously refer to female
soccer players as he. You see a display of lack of skills in almost all the
sectors in Cameroon – at the hospital, driving in the streets, government
administrative offices, restaurants, schools, bank etc.

The level of mediocracy is alarming and something
needs to be done urgently. One of the causes is lack of relevant education as
mentioned in point 1 above.
Schools and training centres within the country need to reassess their training
content (syllabuses) and approach. Employers are urged to frequently organise
training programs in order to enhance the skills of their employees, especially
senior employees who occupy leadership positions. Consulting businesses are
also urged to do more in terms of free relevant education and skills development.
The media has a huge role to play in developing the skills of Cameroonians –
they can develop educative programs on both TV and radio.

3. Corruption, dishonesty and theft
My assessment of the local economy in 2015 is that it is difficult for SMEs to
succeed in Cameroon without a huge amount of supervision from the owners of the
SMEs. In other words the concept of stewardship is almost non-existent. I am
tempted to say that Cameroon has a culture of disloyalty. This negatively
affects development of businesses as investors do not trust employees.
Corruption is at an entirely different level from what one used to know. So
instead of hammering at the fact that there is corruption (something that
everyone is doing), I decided to take a different approach to understand what
causes corruption from the local perspective. I had interviews with many
Cameroonians from various sectors: Police officers, custom officers, business
owners, employees, government officers (hospitals, divisional offices,
councils, utilities etc.) and noted two key issues that surround corruption in
Cameroon:

a) Personal incomes (salaries) are
grossly out of line with the needs of Cameroonians.
For example, The rental cost of a
decent one bedroom apartment in Limbe is about 40,000 – 60,000 XAF per month.
This is also true for cities such as Douala and Yaoundé; Accommodation in
Bamenda is also getting more expensive by the day. The cost of food has also
been on the rise, especially in 2015, a year plagued by security threats and a
very strong US dollar.
The official minimum salary as per the law in Cameroon is just below 40,000
XAF. Junior officers in the police, customs, gendarmerie and military do not
earn above 100,000 XAF. Waiters and many in the hospitality industry earn
between 40,000 – 100,000 XAF. How are these citizens expected to survive with
such a situation? Income levels are far below living expenses. It is no wonder
that everyone everywhere is looking for other income generation routes and most
often it’s through corruption and dishonesty and out right theft. Many
businesses have been forced to shut down due to misappropriation of assets by
employees. This is a very big disincentive for investors especially within the
SMEs sector.

b) Lack of controls and widespread
impunity.
Many SMEs display lack of strong internal controls and this has favoured the
culture of corruption in the nation. At the State level it is even worse –
traffic officers actually collect money from drivers in plain view, with no
fear of being caught. It is very possible that lack of skills is to blame for
lack of controls both at the level of the state and SMEs.
It is my believe that if you have a job that you enjoy doing and earn a salary
that can afford a decent lifestyle; the incentive to steal or to be involved in
corruption will be very low. This is something that the government and
employers within the country need to seriously consider.

In conclusion, a qualification that equips the holder with relevant skills and
knowledge permits the holder to excel at his/her job. When this excellence is
adequately rewarded through a pay system, the employee develops a deep
satisfaction and his/her creativity is ignited. This leads to innovation and
hence a positive contribution to the economy and country.
Watch out for Part 2 in the coming weeks.

Collins Mazu is the CEO at 25-45 Business Consulting SA – a proudly
Cameroonian company.

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